Israel: Suspected Hezbollah drone downed in Golan Heights Sep. 19

Event

Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) officials announced that a suspected Hezbollah unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) was shot down over the Golan Heights on Tuesday, September 19. According to the IDF, the UAV took off from an airbase near Damascus, Syria, and was operating near the town of Safed. The drone was shot down with a Patriot missile after it entered Israeli airspace.

Context

Israel has accused Iran of supplying the surveillance drone to Hezbollah, a Shi’a militant group and political party based out of Lebanon. The IDF claims that Hezbollah UAVs have been detected along Israel’s border conducting reconnaissance missions on multiple occasions. Israeli officials are concerned that as the fighting in Syria slows, Iran and Hezbollah will attempt to maintain a permanent presence along the Israeli border. Hezbollah and Israel have been engaged in numerous armed conflicts over the past 30 years, including the month-long 2006 war between the two parties.

Advice

Due to the ongoing terrorist threat, travelers to Israel are advised to report any suspicious objects or behavior to the authorities and to remain vigilant when visiting sites deemed particularly likely to be targeted in an attack (public transportation, train stations, ports, airports, public or government buildings, embassies or consulates, international organizations, schools and universities, religious sites, markets, hotels and restaurants frequented by foreigners/Westerners, etc.). As a reminder, some Western governments advise their citizens against all travel to the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, and areas near the Lebanese, Syrian, and Egyptian borders.